Posts Tagged ‘isle of wight’

As the nights are drawing in and the days getting colder, it’s time to reflect on another successful year at LCM Systems. Although we have seen year on year growth for the past few years of around 30%, it is this year that we have felt business confidence improve in all areas of the business. Have you been witnessing the same thing? So much so, that we have had to taken on new employees in production, design and marketing ! I will introduce you to our new people in the next blog entry.

However, our team is still not complete. We are currently looking for a Sales Administrator to work here at our HQ in Newport, Isle of Wight. All details are here on our website. SO, if you are looking for an interesting role in a fast growing company, then please apply. Closing date for applications is Monday 21st October 2013.

We also have some exciting news about faster delivery and a reduction in some load cell prices – keep coming back for more information soon!

As many regular readers of this blog know, I am a keen golfer and so enjoy being a member of the beautiful Freshwater Bay Golf Club here in the Isle of Wight. As a company, I think it is important to support local enterprises and we have been sponsoring the Juniors at the Club for the past few years.

Through my association with the Golf Club and love of sport, I am am also pleased to announce that we are also now the official sponsors of the Wightlink-LCM Systems Cycle Race Team. Started in 1995, the team was at its previous prime in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but is undergoing a rejuvenation with new riders, new sponsors, new kit and renewed big ambitions. I jumped at the opportunity to provide sponsorship for the dynamic new team and it provides a great opportunity to see the LCM Systems’ logo all around the Island and mainland as the team enters competitions throughout the UK.

Have a read of this great blog by Jack Elton-Waters to commemorate the launch of the new 2013 Wightlink-LCM Systems Cycle Race Team. Click here. You can also follow them on Twitter and keep up with them on Facebook.

A combination of customer demand for our ex-stock and customised load cell products and an increase in the number of the market areas served, has resulted in major investment here at our Isle of Wight HQ. Since the start of 2012, our manufacturing and storage facility has increased by 70%, providing an expansion of the testing facilities, as well as an increased area to hold next day delivery load cells and instrumentation. An increase in the workforce over coming months will further strengthen LCM Systems’ expansion plans.

We have seen a steady increase in demand for our customised load cells from a range of different market places, especially our heavy duty shackle load cells for the offshore oil and gas industry. The manufacture and testing of these large sensors require additional space and so we have expanded our facilities by purchasing the next door unit. Consequently, we are now able to handle an increase in orders and the extra space has also meant that we have substantially increased our storage facilities so customers can benefit from a larger range of products available to be dispatched ex-stock.

I’ve spoken before about how great it is to work on the Isle of Wight. Some of the personal advantages include the short and picturesque commute to work, the golf courses (see my previous blog entry 😉 ) and exquisite restaurants. From a business point of view, the Isle of Wight is said to be the home of the foil strain gauge originating atÂ Saunders-Roe when the company’s Electronics Division was tasked with developing an alternative to the wire type strain gauge that was holding back development of new helicopter components and so with its history, there is a strong sense of pride and no shortage of skilled workers. We are also right on the doorstep of some of the most innovative and successful boat racing companies in the world and are lucky enough to be their suppliers.

Probably the major disdadvantage is that some courers see us as an offshore isalnd and we have to pay unacceptable surcharges. However, we try and source what we can from suppliers on the Island and we have built up an excellent network of suppliers and business contacts.

We are also members of the Isle of Wight Chamber of Commerce and have just been featured in their monthly magazine Island Business. Unfortunately it’s not online at the moment, but here are some PDFs of our 3-page spectactacular 🙂

Living and working on the gorgeous Isle of Wight has both its advantages and disadvantages. One of the great advantages is that it has a number of wonderful golf courses. As a keen golfer, I am not only a member of the Freshwater Bay Golf Club, but am also this years’ Captain, a great honour and a position I am really looking forward to undertaking.

Golf is a challenging sport and I enjoy the opportunity to go out in the fresh air and give myself a real break from the computer screen designing new load cell systems for LCM Systems customers. As a company, we also try and give something back to community and so have been sponsoring the junior team since 2008.

Image: Bill Longshaw / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

So, if you are a golfer and are ever in the Isle of Wight, give me a call and we can discuss your load cell requirements during a round of golf.

It’s been a busy time here on the Isle of Wight as business continue to thrive and we’ve been seeing orders for out load cells come in form all over the world.

But, we’ve got some interesting blogs coming up over the next couple of months. It all kicks off on Monday morning – October 18th – when I’ll talk about the words we use. This is particularly in relation to our business and using wireless rather than telemetry.

Anyway, bookmark this page and come back to us on Monday to find out more. There will also be an announcement on Twitter and you can link directly from there or follow us @lcmsystems

Iâ€™m Steve Sargeant, Managing Director of LCM Systems, based on the beautiful Isle of Wight. LCM Systems design, manufacture and supply a comprehensive range of standard and customised load cells, load pins, pressure transducers and associated instrumentation. Our products are used throughout the world in a wide range of industries, predominantly for lifting and weighing applications. Why donâ€™t you visit our main site here at LCM Systems.com to find out a lot more about our products and services? There we have comprehensive product information complete with downloads, full specifications, an opportunity to buy online and a range of special offers.

So why have a separate blog you may be asking? Well, I have spent over 25 years in the engineering industry, with a particular interest in load cells, their uses and applications. Throughout this time I have seen many trends come and go, as well as sometimes being appalled at examples of bad practice when substandard components have been incorporated into vital safety equipment.

So, this blog is here to talk about more general issues within the marketplace and to provide a place for lively and informative discussion.

I hope engineers throughout the world will subscribe to the blog and join in with any comments or topics you want covered. Use the RSS button at the top of the page to be alerted when new posts are added.

Once again, welcome.

The Needles chalk stacks (right) and Tennyson Down seen from Headon Warren, on the Isle of Wight, in England. Source: Jaakko Sakari Reinikainen (ulayiti)